54 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
paratively little damage has been recorded, though the familiar 
yellowish maggots have been repeatedly observed in the heads of 
wheat. Despite the fact that this is a well-distributed and relatively 
common insect, it has not been possible as yet to rear such a series 
of the midges as to establish beyond question the identity of the 
one or more species responsible for the damage. 
The work of this insect was first noticed the past season in 
heading rye. It was found to be generally present and in a few 
fields it undoubtedly caused considerable damage by blasting an 
appreciable percentage of the kernels. Later it appeared upon 
ripening wheat in the western part of the State and the loss in 
southern Niagara and northern Erie counties was estimated at 20 
per cent in shrunken wheat. The actual damage in other wheat- 
growing counties appears to have been considerably less, that in 
Orleans being placed at 3 to 5 per cent. It is very difficult to get | 
at the exact figures, since, unless the insect is so numerous as 
practically to destroy the grain in the heads, it appears probable 
that the strength of the plant which ordinarily would be divided 
between a number of kernels would, on the early destruction of 
some, be thrown into the remainder, which appears to be the 
explanation of fairly good crops on fields showing a rather general 
and moderately severe infestation. 
There is no practical method known of controlling this pest. The 
injury the past season was due largely, if not entirely, to unusual 
climatic conditions at the time the grain was heading and the 
probabilities of similar damage another season are very remote. 
It is well known that the related Hessian fly, for example, develops 
readily in soft growing grain and under such conditions may be 
very injurious, whereas if the stem is moderately hard, the maggots 
fail to develop. The controlling factors in case of the wheat midge 
appear to be nearly the same and whenever conditions favor a rapid 
development and maturity, especially the latter, of the heading 
grain, there is comparatively little to fear from the wheat midge. 
Grass webworm (Crambus luteolellus Clem.). It was 
apparently this species which caused considerable damage to corn in 
the town of Cambridge, Washington county, the past season and was 
also reported as somewhat injurious in Oneida county. The grass 
webworms are relatively common insects if one may judge from the 
abundance of the moths, yellowish, yellowish brown, sometimes 
slate color, about one-half of an inch long and with a wing spread 
of an inch or less. These close wings, as they are known, are easily 
recognized in the field by the short flight and especially the char- 
